Sealing means for intersecting battens



A. B. HAMMITT ETAL 3,127,639 SEALING MEANS FOR INTERSECTING BATTENS 3Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TORS AND/475W 5.1914/1/7/77 BY HERBERT A. B/RUMJQA TTOR/Vf),

pril 7, 1964 Filed July 6, 19

April 7, 1964 A. B. HAMMITT ETAL 3,127,639

SEALING MEANS FOR INTERSECTING BATTENS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6,1960 INVENTORS m T 7 WW y Mm w R a m Wm m MM Y B United States Patent3,127,639 SEALING MEANS FUR INTERSECTING BATTENS Andrew B. Hammitt, 909W. State St, Trenton, N.J., and

Herbert L. Birurn, Jr., Titusville, NJ.; said Birum assignor to saidHammitt Filed July 6, 1960, Ser. No. 41,168 Ciaims. (Cl. -4)

This invention relates to means for providing an effective seal at theintersection of batten strips or the like employed in securing wallforming material in place.

In our Patent No. 2,769,212 a weather plate is disclosed which has beenWidely used in sealing the intersection of batten strips employed forsecuring sheets of wall forming material in place in a buildingconstruction. Such constructions are required in order to allow for theexpansion and contraction of the batten strips upon change intemperature. However, the provision of an adequate seal for such afloating connection at the intersections or ends of batten stripspresents serious construction problems. Thus, the weather plates of ourissued patent must be applied from the exterior of the building afterthe batten strips and wall forming material have been secured in place.Therefore, it is frequently necessary to use a scaffold or other supportfor the workman applying the Weather plate. Moreover, since the weatherplates are located on the exterior of the batten strips, they presentprojections which interrupt the smooth, clean lines of the batten stripsand are sometimes architecturally objectionable.

In accordance with the present invention, constructions are provided forsealing the intersection of batten strips or the like but areconstructed and arranged so that the sealing means is concealed by thebatten strips and the architectural effect of the assembly is notimpaired. Moreover, in many applications of the present invention, theelements may be assembled and secured in place by workmen located onlyon the interior of the assembly.

These advantages are attained by providing the batten strips themselveswith longitudinally extending sealing means and by employing acooperating sealing means which is located between the batten strips andthe wall forming material and is engaged by the sealing strips on thebattens in a manner to assure effective sealing at all points about theintersection while permitting the batten strips to expand and contractwith changes in emperature. For this purpose, a new type of sealingmeans is employed which preferably includes a pressure plate and acompressible sealing sheet which span the space between the ends of thebattens.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to providean effective seal at the intersection of batten strips or the likeemployed for securing wall forming material in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide sealing means for theintersection of batten strips which may be applied to the assembly andsecured in place from the interior of the assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide sealing means for theintersection of batten strips which are located on the inner side of thebatten strips whereby the architectural effect of the assembly is notimpaired.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a novel type of sealingelement which cooperates with sealing strips on battens and the like toafford an effective seal at the intersection of such battens whilespanning the space between the ends of the battens and permitting thebatten strips to expand and contract freely.

These and other objects and features of the present invention willappear from the following description thereof wherein reference is madeto the figures of the accompanying drawing.

3,127,63 Patented Apr. 7, 1964 In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing a portion of an assembly embodying thepresent invention as seen from the interior of a building;

FIG. 2 is a perspective showing the complete assembly as seen from theexterior of a building;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the sealing element employed in theassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view as seen from the interior of the assembly illustratingan alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective illustrating a further alternative form ofsealing means embodying the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation showing an assembly embodying the sealingmeans of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional View taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

In that form of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration inFIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings, the assembly embodies sheets of wallforming materials 2, 4, 6 and 8 which are held in place by battenstrips. The exterior batten strip 10 extends vertically over the spacedadjacent edges of the sheets 2 and 4, whereas the batten strip 12extends vertically over the adjacent edges of the sheets of wall formingmaterial 6 and 8. Batten strip 14 extends horizontally over the adjacentedges of the sheets of material 2 and 6 while batten strip 16 extendshorizontally over the edges of the sheets 4 and 8.

Each of the exterior batten strips 10, 12, 14- and 16 as illustrated isprovided with a central ribbed channel portion it? located on the innersurface thereof and positioned in the spaces between the adjacent edgesof the sheets of wall forming material '2, 4, 6 and 8. Bolts 20 extendthrough inner batten strips 22 located on the inner surfaces of thesheets of wall forming material and engage the thread engaging ribs ofthe channel portions of the exterior battens. The bolts 20 can thus bemanipulated from the interior of the building to draw the exteriorbatten strips inward against the sheets of material while the innerbatten strips cooperate therewith to clamp the various elements of theassembly in place.

The adjacent ends of the exterior vertical batten strips 10 and 12 arepreferably spaced apart a short distance as shown at 24 to allow forexpansion and contraction of the strips. Similarly, the ends of thehorizontal batten strips 14 and 16 are spaced from the vertical edges ofthe strips 1% and 12 as shown at 26. In this way, all of the battenstrips are permitted to expand and contract freely with changes intemperature, although the spaces between the strips need only berelatively small and their spacing will, of course, depend upon thelength of the strip and the variations in temperature to which thestrips may be subjected. However, such spacing of the ends of the stripspresents serious leakage problems which must be overcome in order torender the assembly water tight and weather tight.

In accordance with the present invention, the batten strips employed areprovided with sealing strips 3% which extend lengthwise of the stripsnear the opposite edges thereof. These sealing strips may be formed ofrubber, neoprene or other similar compressible material and as shown aresecured in place by key-stone shaped portions located in correspondinglyshaped slots 32 in the enlarged edge portions 34 of the batten strips.The sealing surfaces 36 of the strips 30* are preferably ribbedlongitudinally or otherwise formed so that when the batten strip isdrawn inward against the sheets of wall forming material, they willprovide an effective, water tight seal preventing leakage along theedges of the strips.

Leakage between and about the spaced moving ends -of the batten strips.

of the exterior battens is prevented by providing a sealing sheet 4 dwhich is located on the exterior of the sheets of wall forming material2, '4, 6 and 8 and beneath the ends of the exterior batten strips id,l2, l4 and 16. The sheet 49 spans the area adjacent the corners of thesheets of material and extends beyond the adjacent ends of the battenstrips. The sheet at preferably is formed of rubber, neoprene or thelike and is initially some what thicker and may be more yieldable andresilient than the sealing strips 3d carried by the exteriorbattenstrips.

In the construction shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the sealing strips 3%terminate or are cut off short at the ends of the batten strips by whichthey are carried. The ribbed channel portions @18 of the batten stripsare also terminated or cut ofl short at .the ends of the batten strips.The edges of the sealing sheet 4%) are notched to fit closely adjacentand to embrace the sealing strips 3t) and channel portion 18 butpreferably do not project beyond the side edges Thus, as shown in FIGS.1 and 3, the sealing sheet 4b is square or rectangular in its generaloutline butis provided with notches 42 for receiving the ends of thesealing strips 30. The projection dbetween the notches 42 is designed toextend outward between the adjacent ends of the sealing strips at thecorner of right angularly positioned batten strips. Similarly, each edgeof the sheet 4% is provided with a central notch 46 for receiving theend of the channel portion 18 of a batten strip, and the projections 43of the sealing sheet are designed to be located between the edges of thechannel portions and the sealing strips 3h. 1

In this Way, the'sealin g sheet 46 not onlyspans the area between thecorners and edges of the sheets of wall forming material but alsosurrounds and embraces the channel portions '18 and the sealing stripsBall of the exterior battens. Moreover, by forming the sealing sheet ofresilient material which is softer and somewhat thicker than the sealingstrips 30, the operation of tightening the bolts Zil serves to compressthe sealing sheet so that it expands laterally in all directions and isurged into sealing engagement with the wall forming sheets 2, 4, 6 and8. This compression of the sheet 46) is effected by placing the bolts 20in positions beyond the ends and sides of the sealing means but adjacentthereto so that the bolts do not pass through the sealing means. Thebolts, When tightened, cause the projections of material between thenotches 42 and 46 to be compressed and to spread laterally into watertight engagement with the sealing strips 3t? and channel portions 18 ofthe exterior battens. As a result, the sealing sheet effectively closesand prevents leakage at all points about the intersection of the battenstrips.

In most instances it is preferable to employ a reinforcing plate 50 incombination with the sealing sheet 40 and for this purpose, a thin metalpressure plate may be used. Such a pressure plate may be located oneither the interior or the exterior or on both faces of the sealingsheet. Generally, the pressure plate is located on the exterior of thesealing sheet so that it presents a metallic surface exposed to theexterior of the building through the spaces 24 and 26 between the endsof the batten strips. At the same time, the inner surface of the sealingsheet is in water tight contact with the sheets of wall formingmaterial. The pressure plate 56 may be bonded to the sealing sheet by asuitable adhesive or otherwise to form a unitary element and is somewhatsmaller than the sealing sheet 46 so that the edges of the pressureplate are spaced inward from the edges of the sealing sheet and thevarious projections thereon. The plate t) will, therefore, be embeddedor forced into the face of the sealing sheet as the assembly iscompressed in securing the parts in place. The projecting marginalportions of the sealing sheet then contact the battens about the edgesof the pressure plate assuring an effective water tight seal beween theinner surfaces of the battens and the sealing sheet. The pressure platefurther aids in spreading the marginal portions of the sealing sheetlaterally into sealing engagepressed and rendered weather tight andwater tight.

of the channel portions 18 of the battens. However, the

ment with the strips 36-. and channel portion 18 and prevents the sheetfrom buckling inward between the corners and edges of the wall formingmaterial when the assembly is compressed.

In erecting an assembly of the character described, the lower sheets ofwall forming material 2 and 4 and the lower vertical batten strip 10 areplaced in position. The lower edge of the sealing sheet 40 is thenslipped between the sheets .2 and 4 and the batten strip 10 and fittedabout the sealing strip 30 and channel portion 18 at the upper end ofthe lower vertical batten strip. These elements may then besecurcd inplace, if desired, by

:means of an inner batten strip-22 and bolts 20, although ordinarily,the elements are not fully tightened until the entire assembly is inposition.

The horizontal batten strips 14 and 16 are then placed in position andthe ends of the sealing strips and channel portions thereon are fittedclosely in the notches of the .side edges of the sealing sheet 40. vThesheets of wall forming material 6 and 8 are then placed in position andthe upper vertical batten strip 12 is arranged with its lower endoverlying the upper portion of sealing sheet 40 with the sealing stripsand channel portion fitting the notches in the upper edgeof sheet 40.Thereafter, the

inner batten strips. 22 and bolts 20 are employed to, secure .as theflat faces of the sheetsof wall forming material 2, v4, 6 and 8. At thesame time, the sealing surfaces 36 of the sealing strips 30 are pressedagainst the, outer faces of the sheets of wall forming material alongthe opposite edges of the batten strips.

The whole assembly is thus secured in place and com- Moreover, theoperations required for assembling and tightening the elements can allbe performed by workmen located on the interior of the building so thatno scaffolding or other exterior working structure is required.

Furthermore, there are no projecting elements on the exterior of theassembly, whereas the cracks or small spaces between the ends of thebatten strips are scarcely visible. The architectural appeal ofextended, unbroken appearing batten strips is, therefore, preserved.

' In the alternative form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5, thesealing means is provided with a sealing sheet 52 which is formed withnotches or cut-out portions 54 designed to embrace and seal the assemblyabout the ends cut-out portions 42. of the construction shown in FIG. 3are omitted. The sealing sheet instead extends the full width of eachbatten.

With this constructionthe sealing strips 30 may extend to the ends ofthe intersecting battens as at 24 and 26 and overlie the edges of thesealing sheet 52 as indicated in dotted lines at 56 in FIG. 5., In thisway, the marginal edges of the sealing sheet 52 are furthercompressedand a double seal is established about the edges of the sheetassuring a most effective sealing against the leakage of water ormoisture through the assembly at the intersection of the battens.

In most applications of the construction of FIG. 5 a metal pressureplate 58 will be applied to one or both faces of the sealing sheet 52 soas to span the intersection and extend across the ends 24 and 26 of thebatten strips.

The pressureplate 58 when located on the exterior of the sealing sheet52 will conceal the sealing sheet so that it will not be visible throughthe spaces between the ends 24 and 26 of the batten strips assuring apleasing architectural appearance. On the other hand, the pressure platelocated on the interior of the sealing sheet presses the sealing sheetforcibly against the surfaces of the batten strips and aids in spreadingthe sealing sheet laterally into sealing engagement with the ends of thechannel portions 18 and the sealing strips 30. At the same time themarginal edges of the sealing sheet which project beyond the edges ofthe pressure plates press against the sheets of wall forming material 2,4, 6 and 8 to complete the sealing action of the assembly.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, thebatten strips 60 are spaced apart at 62, where as the batten strips 64are spaced from the sides of the batten strips 69 as shown at 66. Thebatten strips as shown are of a flat type designed to be drilled toreceive bolts 68 which cooperate with the nuts 70 to draw the battenstrips together in securing the elements of the assembly in place. Eachof the batten strips is provided with sealing strips 72 which arelocated adjacent the opposite edges of the battens and extendlongitudinally thereof.

The sealing means employed is of the general rectangular or cruciformshape characteristic of the present invention and is formed with asealing sheet 74 of soft, resilient and compressible material combinedwith a pressure plate 76. The plate 76 is of smaller size than thesealing sheet so that the marginal portions 78 thereof are free toexpand and afford a marginal seal about the edges of the pressure plate.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sealing means are located between the battenstrips and the sheets of wall forming material 80. The sealing meansshown on the right hand side of the assembly of FIG. 8 has the pressureplate 76 located on the outside so as to be positioned adjacent thebatten strips, whereas the sealing means shown on the left hand side ofthe assembly has the pressure plate positioned on the inside adjacentthe sheets of wall forming material 89. Thus, the sealing means may bearranged with either side outward as desired in any particular assembly.

In each form of the invention, the sealing strip carried by the battencooperates with the sealing means to afford a complete and effectiveseal at the intersection of the battens. In the forms of the inventionshown in FIGS. to 8, the sealing strip on the batten overlies theexposed marginal portion of the sealing sheet and cooperates there withto compress the edges effectively and afford a double seal and greatercompression of the sealing sheet at the edges thereof where the need fora seal is of greatest importance.

While the construction shown in the drawings has four separate battenstrips forming an intersection, the batten strips which are in end toend relation may, in fact, be a single batten strip extending across theintersection. In some instances, the adjacent ends of the batten stripsat the intersection may be mitered to provide an architecturallypleasing appearance. Similarly at T-joints and in corner assemblies, thesealing sheet and pressure plate may be cut in half or otherwisemodified to fit the elements and assure a water-tight construction. Inany and all of these alternative arrangements, the sealing means shouldbe suitably notched or otherwise formed to embrace or cooperate with thebatten strips and sheets of wall forming material to provide a watertight sealing contact when compressed.

These and other modifications and changes may be made in the form,construction and arrangement of the elements without departing from thespirit of the invention. It should, therefore, be understood that theparticular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing is intendedto be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention.

We claim:

1. An assembly embodying wall forming material held in position byintersecting batten strips located on the exterior of the wall formingmaterial and having the end of one of said batten strips spaced fromanother batten strip a distance sufiicient to allow for expansion andcontraction of said batten strips, and by elements located on theinterior of the wall forming material, means sealing the space betweenthe wall forming material and the intersecting batten strips comprisinga continuous sheet of compressible and laterally expandable sealingmaterial located between the inner surface of said batten strips and theouter surface of the wall forming material and spanning the space atsaid intersection between the end of one of said batten strips andanother batten strip, the batten strips having channel members extendinglongitudinally thereof near the center of each strip and the sheet ofsealing material being formed with projections on the edges thereofembracing the ends of the channel members adjacent said intersection,and connecting means positioned beyond the edges of said sheet ofsealing material and extending from the elements located on the interior of said wall forming material to the channel members of saidbatten strips, said connecting means urging the batten strips againstsaid sheet of sealing material and serving to compress the same andcause it to expand laterally into sealing engagement with the channelmembers of said batten strips.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the sheet of sealingmaterial is provided with a metal reinforcing plate having the generalshape of said sheet but having its edges spaced inwardly from the edgesof said sheet.

3. An assembly comprising a plurality of sheets of wall forming materialhaving right angularly shaped corners spaced apart to form anintersecting space between the edges of the sheets adjacent saidcorners, batten strips provided with fastener receiving means extendinglongitudinally thereof adjacent the centers of the strips and projectinginwardly therefrom, said batten strips being arranged in intersectingrelation on the outer face of said sheets of wall forming material withthe inwardly projecting fastener receiving means thereof located in theintersecting space between the edges of said sheets of wall formingmaterial, the end of at least one of said batten strips being spacedfrom another batten strip a distance sufficient to allow for expansionand contraction of said batten strips, sealing means in the form of aflat sheet of compressible material located between the inner surface ofsaid batten strips and the outer faces of the sheets of wall formingmaterial and spanning the intersecting space between said sheets, saidsealing means having projections on the edges thereof spaced apart andclosely embracing the ends of the inwardly projecting fastener receivingmeans on the intersecting battens, said batten strips having sealingstrips extending longitudinally thereof adjacent the edges thereof andabutting the projections on the edges of the sealing means, elementslocated adjacent the inner faces of said sheets of wall formingmaterial, and fastening means engaging said elements and the fastenerreceiving means on the batten strips at points spaced from the edges ofsaid sealing means, said fastening means urging the batten strips andthe sealing strips thereon toward the sealing means and serving to pressthe sealing means against the outer faces of said sheets of wall formingmaterial about the intersecting space therebetween.

4. An assembly embodying wall forming material held in position byelements located on the interior of said wall forming material and byintersecting batten strips located on the exterior of the wall formingmaterial, the end of at least one of said batten strips being spacedfrom another batten strip at said intersection a distance sufficient toallow for expansion and contraction of said batten strips, means sealingthe space between the wall forming material and the intersecting battenstrips located on the exterior of the wall forming material andcomprising a continuous sheet of compressible and laterally expandablematerial located between the batten strips and the wall forming materialand spanning the intersection of the batten strips, said batten stripshaving sealing elements extending parallel to the edges thereof and thesheet of sealing material, when uncompressed, being thicker than thesealing elements and formed with notches in the edges thereof em- Tbracing the inner sides and ends of the sealing elements adjacent saidintersection; and connecting means extending between said elementslocated on the interior of the wall forming material to said battenstrips and urging the batten strips against said sheet of sealingmaterial and :serving to compress the same and cause it to expandlate'rally so as to urge the edges of the sealing sheet into sealingengagement with the sealing'elernents.

5. A'n assembly comprising a plurality of sheets of wall formingmaterial having right angularly shaped corners spaced apartto form anintersecting space between the edges of said sheets, means located onthe interior'of said sheets of wall forming materiala'nd engaging theinner surface o flsaid sheets'at "oppositeisides of the'space betweenthe adjacent edges of the sheets, batten strips located on the exteriorof said sheets of wall forming material and provided with sealing stripsextending lengthwise 'of 'the'b atten strips adjacent the edges of thebatten "stripsand located onthe inner surface thereof with pettionsprojecting inward from said inner surfaces of the batten strips, saidbatten strips being arranged in intersecting [relation to cover theintersecting space between'the sheets of wallforrnin'g material, sealingmeans located between the batten strips and the sheets of wall formingmaterial and a pressure plate having its marginal edges spaced inwardlyfrom the marginal "edges of thesealing sheet, the sealing'sheet', whenuncompressed, being thicker than the portions of thesealing'strips'projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the battenstrips but compressible to :a thickness'not exceeding the thickness ofsaid inwardly of the sealing means, said connecting means serving todraw the battenstoward said sheets in a manner to compress'the sealingstrips on the battens against the marginal portions of the sealing meansand urge said marginal portions into sealing engagement with both saidsealing strips and said sheets of wall forming material.

ReferenceslCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,152,630 ,Balfe Apr. 4, 1939 2,643,904 Wehmanen June 30, 1953 2,680,185Basile June 1, 1954 2,706,656 Roubal Apr. 19, 1955 2,769,212 HammittNov. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 536,270 Canada 1 957

5. AN ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SHEETS OF WALL FORMING MATERIALHAVING RIGHT ANGULARLY SHAPED CORNERS SPACED APART TO FORM ANINTERSECTING SPACE BETWEEN THE EDGES OF SAID SHEETS, MEANS LOCATED ONTHE INTERIOR OF SAID SHEETS OF WALL FORMING MATERIAL AND ENGAGING THEINNER SURFACE OF SAID SHEETS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SPACE BETWEEN THEADJACENT EDGES OF THE SHEETS, BATTEN STRIPS LOCATED ON THE EXTERIOR OFSAID SHEETS OF WALL FORMING MATERIAL AND PROVIDED WITH SEALING STRIPSEXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE BATTEN STRIPS ADJACENT THE EDGES OF THEBATTEN STRIPS AND LOCATED ON THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF WITH PORTIONSPROJECTING INWARD FROM SAID INNER SURFACES OF THE BATTEN STRIPS, SAIDBATTEN STRIPS BEING ARRANGED IN INTERSECTING RELATION TO COVER THEINTERSECTING SPACE BETWEEN THE SHEETS OF WALL FORMING MATERIAL, SEALINGMEANS LOCATED BETWEEN THE BATTEN STRIPS AND THE SHEETS OF WALL FORMINGMATERIAL AND SPANNING THE INTERSECTING SPACE BETWEEN THE SHEETS OF WALLFORMING MATERIAL AND CONFORMING GENERALLY IN SHAPE TO THE INTERSECTINGPORTIONS OF THE BATTENS, SAID SEALING MEANS INCLUDING A CONTINUOUSCOMPRESSIBLE SEALING SHEET AND A PRESSURE PLATE HAVING ITS MARGINALEDGES SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE MARGINAL EDGES OF THE SEALING SHEET, THESEALING SHEET, WHEN UNCOMPRESSED, BEING THICKER THAN THE PORTIONS OF THESEALING STRIPS PROJECTING INWARDLY FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF THE BATTENSTRIPS BUT COMPRESSIBLE TO A THICKNESS NOT EXCEEDING THE THICKNESS OFSAID INWARDLY PROJECTING PORTIONS OF THE SEALING STRIPS, AND CONNECTINGMEANS EXTENDING FROM THE MEANS LOCATED ON THE INTERIOR OF SAID SHEETS OFWALL FORMING MATERIAL TO THE BATTEN STRIPS AND EXTENDING THROUGH THESPACE BETWEEN THE SHEETS OF WALL FORMING MATERIAL AT POINTS SPACED FROMTHE EDGES OF THE SEALING MEANS, SAID CONNECTING MEANS SERVING TO DRAWTHE BATTENS TOWARD SAID SHEETS IN A MANNER TO COMPRESS THE SEALINGSTRIPS ON THE BATTENS AGAINST THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE SEALING MEANSAND URGE SAID MARGINAL PORTIONS INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH BOTH SAIDSEALING STRIPS AND SAID SHEETS OF WALL FORMING MATERIAL.